Encounters on the 35th Floor
by YoulooklikeablueberrY
Summary: Elizabeth Bennet is Georgiana Darcy's fifth grade teacher. Darcy is...Darcy. What happens when Lizzie pays a visit to her favorite student's guardian at Darcy Enterprises? Will love flourish? Or will Darcy's awkwardness reign supreme? R&R. Sorry for the terrible summary.
1. Chapter 1

I'm a brand new author to fanfiction so any feedback would be appreciated. Not really sure what to do...R&R!

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own the characters of Pride and Prejudice. :C I wouldn't be a poor college student if I did.**

And now...

**Encounters on the 35th Floor**

As he stared out of his ceiling to floor length windows in his 86th story office, Darcy could barely concentrate on the breathtaking panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline. It was one of the most arresting, awe inspiring sights he had ever seen in his life, and he'd been quite a lot of places in his short 27 years. Most of the time he could just stand at these windows and become completely lost in the sheer magnificence and testament to human achievement he saw whenever he looked down upon his city. The bright lights from cars and clubs and all other locations illuminated the night sky. However at the moment, he was having trouble thinking too deeply about the scene before him because his entire mind and being was focused on what laid directly behind his back, specifically on who was sitting in the chair right beyond his desk.

He still couldn't quite wrap his mind around the fact that she had come to see him. When she walked into his office he had a small glimmer of hope that maybe she was there because she felt something for him. It seemed too good to be true for him to believe. He doubted she even experienced one tenth of what he felt for her. But still, here she was.

* * *

Darcy had just been getting ready to leave his office for the night. He had been here much later than everyone else, as usual, trying to burry himself in paperwork until he could no longer remember the rest of his dull existence. Pretty much everyone had gone home at this point, back to their husbands and wives, families and friends, like normal human beings; even his secretary, who usually stayed _at least_ until he left, had slipped out a few hours ago. After digging himself out of the mountain of files on his desk, he hiked up his sleeve slightly to check his watch for the first time since lunch, only to realize just how late it was.

"Shit", Will mumbled breathily as he looked at the hour and minute hands that were indicating it was already 9:23. He absently began to pack up the few manila folders he had to look at over the weekend, thinking about how it would be nice to have a short break from everything. Just him and Georgie and Mrs. Reynolds's cooking. He was just beginning to shut down his computer, when a gentle rapping at his office door drew his attention. Will looked up wondering who could possibly need him at 9:30 at night and promptly dropped his jaw.

She was standing casually in his open doorway, one hand gripping the strap of the purse that hung on her right shoulder while the other hung limply at her side. Lizzie Bennet looking no less beautiful than usual. It was no surprise to him that he was still completely hung up on her even though he hadn't seen her in a few months. He realized he had been openly gaping at her when a becoming blush spread across her cheeks and she daintily cleared her throat.

"Hello" she said quietly, still in the doorway.

"…Hi." He said still dumbstruck by her presence.

She let out a breathy, nervous chuckle and looked down at her feet. "I suppose you're surprised to see me."

"Just a bit," Will said, still staring at her, before he realized she was standing awkwardly in his office entrance, "Oh! I'm sorry, where are my manners? Have a seat," He said gesturing to the chair across his desk.

"Thanks." She shot him a shy smile, and he thought his heart might break. She sat down in the chair and set her purse on the floor. He continued to stare at her, unsure if this was actually happening.

"Can I get you any…anything to drink?"

"Oh, no thank you," she assured him quickly "I'm fine."

He nodded his head and slowly sank down into his own seat, his eyes never leaving her, a perplexed expression still on his face. She continued to stare down at her fidgeting hands, periodically glancing up at him before looking back down at her lap.

"So…" he said after a few minutes of awkward silence. Her head jerked up in surprise, as though she forgot where she was. He eyes met his. When she didn't say anything to him he continued, "How did you get in the building?"

"Um, Jane was working late. She let me in through the main lobby because I was meeting her to go out to dinner," Lizzie said quietly and then continued to sit in silence. Will waited for more, but it seemed she wasn't intent on explaining what the hell she was doing in his office.

"Not to be rude, but why are you here, if you're supposed to be at dinner?" He continued to stare at her to gain any clues as to what she was feeling and why she was there. At least that's what he tried to convince himself was the reason he was staring at her was. If he was being honest, he just liked to look at her.

Lizzie took a deep breath and seemed to gain back a little of the confidence she usually possessed in all situations. "Yes, well, we were about to leave, and I remembered that you pretty much own this building and that your office was here, and I remembered Georgie saying something to me about you working pretty late most nights", she began to ramble, her speech growing more rapid. "And I guess I just wanted to check and see if you were here, because I feel really bad about what happened at parent-teacher conferences. I guess I just wanted to apologize."

He stared at her slack jawed. _She was here to apologize? _"I'm sorry, what?"

Once again Lizzie took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and looked him straight in the eye. Darcy recognized her going into teacher mode.

"I wanted to apologize for the way I treated you the last time we met. I said some truly awful things to you and jumped to conclusions about you and Georgie without being fully aware of the situation. I was under the impression that you were just some irresponsible parent, another one of those corporate fathers who can barely bother to take an interest in their children. I've meet plenty of them in my teaching career." At this she gave him an apologetic look. "I had no idea about your parents, or the immense amount of pressure you must be under. I can't imagine having to inherit a company and an eight year-old barely out of college." The last part was said quietly, almost to herself. She cleared her throat and began again. "Anyway, I've become very attached to Georgie, more so than my other fifth graders. She is such a bright girl and achingly sweet, but she's also extremely shy, and I felt she was lacking the attention she needs. I, mistakenly, thought that it was your fault. I lashed out at you, and I was completely out of line. So, I'm very sorry."

Will stared at her in silence for several minutes before replying. "There's nothing for you to be sorry for."

"But there is! I was so abominably rude—," she began to protest, but Will cut her off.

"Nothing you said was untrue. My parents' being dead doesn't change the face that I was neglecting Georgie." The harshness of the statement was directed towards himself.

"But it does. I can't imagine that I would fare very well if I inherited the kind of responsibility you did at your age. It's something that you really didn't deserve a hard time over."

"Regardless of whether I deserved it or not, when you said that stuff to me, it made me realize how unfair I was being to Georgie. I should be thanking you right now." Will stood up and walked to his window and stared out at Manhattan. "After what you said, I've been trying to focus more of my attention on her. My role shifted from brother to father figure, when my parents died, and I guess what you said made me realize that I have to start acting the part. And because of that she's almost back to her old self. I mean you're her teacher, you must have noticed a change." He turned to look back at her.

"I have actually," Lizzie said with a smile "That's sort of what prompted me to come see you. I guess, along with apologizing, I just wanted to tell you that Georgie has improved so much over the last two months. She's so much more outgoing and seems so much happier. And frankly, I had no clue how funny she was. She has become a bit of a class clown, but in a very good way. And she absolutely adores you, not that it wasn't clear before that she loved you. She speaks of you constantly; you've become a celebrity in our classroom." Lizzie let out a slight chuckle, and a small smile graced Will's lips.

"Well, thank you for telling me that. It's nice to know that I'm doing the right thing with her for once," Will said quietly and stared back at a view that he couldn't really concentrate on. After a few moments, Darcy turned back to Lizzie. He had decided for once in his life to take a risk and was just about to ask her to dinner when she stood up and cut him off without realizing it.

"Well, that's all, I suppose. I won't keep you from home any longer. I just hope that next time we meet it will be on better terms, Mr. Darcy," Lizzie said while picking up her purse.

Darcy, having lost his nerve, cleared his throat. "Yes, of course." Lizzie started to leave, but Darcy stopped her. "Wait! I'll, um…I was just leaving. I'll walk you out." She gave him a strange look but nodded her head.

They walked down the hall of the dark office building, passing large conference rooms, empty cubicles, and a few more offices for the higher ups in the company. Will didn't want to make her uncomfortable, so he tried not to walk to close to her as they made their way towards the bank of elevators. He kept his gaze forward so as not appear too eager or creepy, but Darcy couldn't resist peaking at her a few times.

God, she was beautiful. She had long chestnut tresses that waved to her middle back, and contrasted perfectly with her creamy white complexion. All Dainty features and a light smattering of freckles across the bridge of her slightly upturned nose, made her about as perfect as a china doll. However, all of that perfection was nothing compared to her eyes. Her eyes were like nothing he had ever seen before. Framed by thick coal lashes, they caused his heart to stop every time he gazed at them. And the color was completely unreal. For a while he was sure that they had to be color contacts, but he soon realized she would never do something that fake. They were a deep blue that, in the right light, seemed almost violet. He wasn't an overly romantic person and always found poetry about love to be too cheesy for his tastes, but Will could have written sonnets for hours about her eyes. She was beautiful.

He didn't understand how he could have even questioned the fact when he first met her at Georgie's fifth grade performance of _The Wizard of Oz_. He just automatically assumed she would be another one of those annoying, overly friendly, elementary teachers who didn't give a damn about his sister until they realized who he was. But as they year moved on, he saw more of her, because by some crazy fucking coincidence, his best friend began dating her sister. He began to see how intelligent and witty she really was. She had a spunk about her that he found very refreshing. Any time they were in a room together, they always had the liveliest debates.

Darcy wasn't completely oblivious, so he could tell that there were times when she would become very frustrated with him, but he liked to rile her up to that point just to see the fire behind her eyes. They flashed and burned, and at the risk of sounding like a horny teenage boy, Will thought it was the hottest thing he had very seen when her eyes lit up like that.

He tried to convince himself that he wasn't attracted to her in that way, that he was only interested in friendship. His feelings for her really became apparent at Georgie's fifth grade concert.

Everyone was packed into the auditorium. Will had to work late, and he had Mrs. Reynolds drop Georgie off. When he got there the place was practically full, so he was forced to stand in the back. He made a quick bathroom run before the show began, and as he was heading back, he heard a small child's cry coming from the hallway that led backstage. He peaked to see what was wrong and saw Georgie's unmistakable mop of black curls. Kneeling directly in front of her was Elizabeth Bennet. She had her hands on either side of Georgie's face and was trying to coax her out from behind her hands. Darcy was about to intervene when, Georgiana finally look at her teacher, who was making soothing sounds and shushing away the tears.

"Hey, hey, hey. Listen to me. Everything is gonna be okay. You are gonna go out there and rock the sock off those people," Lizzie declared earning a small giggle from Georgie.

"But what if I mess up the words? Or forget to breathe?" Georgie began to panic again.

"There's a reason you got this solo. It's because you're the best, out of everybody in the whole fifth grade. If anyone can do this it's you," Lizzie assured her. Georgie seemed better, but Will thought there was still something wrong. Lizzie notice as well and asked her.

"What if Will isn't there," she said quietly. It hurt Will to hear the worry and pain in her tiny voice.

Lizzie's brow furrowed, and she hesitated slightly before answering her. "I'm sure he's out there somewhere. _And _I'm sure you're gonna do splendidly," She said with confidence and got up from her position on her knees. At that point Will decided he had to intervene, if only to make his presence known to Georgiana.

"Of course, she will do splendidly!" he said as he walked towards the pair. His sister's head whipped in his direction, and she bolted into his arms.

"You're here," she mumbled into his neck.

"I told I was coming, didn't I?"

"Yeah," she giggled.

"That's right," he said setting her down "Now get your tush moving or else you'll miss your big break," He said with and exaggerated flip of his hand. She giggled and began to walk down the hall, but turned around and ran back. She hesitated before hugging Lizzie around her waist.

"Thanks, Ms. Bennet," she said and ran off.

"Break a leg, Bug," Will yelled after her.

With the absence of Georgie, Will was left standing awkwardly next to Lizzie.

"Nice of you to join us," she said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, I try," Will jabbed back. Lizzie just snorted and rolled her eyes. As Will watched her walk away, he realized for the first time how amazing she was. She was so good with Georgie and got her to open up, something only he and his parents had been able to do. Elizabeth Bennet was smart, and funny, and interesting, and sexy, and completely perfect.

Then, at those awful parent-teacher conferences she had pretty much tore him a new one, telling he was a neglectful parent who couldn't be bothered to show interest in his own daughter. He had been confused until he realized that she had assumed Georgie was his child, but at that point he didn't even care to correct her. Because what she said made him realize that, although she may not have been completely correct about the situation, the basics of her words were true; he was neglectful guardian to Georgie, and he need to start acting like a father because, as hard as the fact was to swallow, that's what he was now.

He was shaken out of his thoughts buy the arrival of the elevator. He had been so lost in his head that he couldn't even remember pressing the button. He allowed Lizzie to step on first and followed her on, pressing the button for the lobby. Will took a deep breath and shut his eyes. Although he would never admit it to anyone, he was terrified of elevators. The trip he took every morning and night on this thing was particularly difficult considering it was an 86 story ride. Ironic, that he should be placed on the top floor, although not really a surprise considering he ran the whole company.

The ride was pretty much silent with Lizzie in one corner of the elevator and Will in the other. Darcy continued to take deep breaths, trying to hide his fear from Lizzie. He didn't think he would be able to handle her teasing.

Around the 35th floor the lights began to flicker slightly, and then Will's worst fears were realized as the lift came to a sudden shuddering halt. He waited for the doors to open, hoping that maybe there was someone on the other side waiting to get on. When they didn't open right away, Will began to panic slightly. And then lights went out. _Oh shit.  
_

* * *

As Lizzie stepped on the elevator, she pondered how well this little mission of hers went compared to how she thought it would turn out. She didn't even expect to find him in his office, so when she did, she felt as though that was a victory in itself. Then he had been so good about accepting her apology, even admitting some fault of his own, something she was _not _expecting.

Lizzie now felt confident that they would meet on better terms, and hey, maybe one day they could even be friends. She had to admit that he was very intelligent. Whenever they fought, whether that be over hot button issues, books, music, and pretty much everything else, he was always well informed. She also couldn't pretend to be oblivious to how attractive he was. He was tall, at least 6'3, with broad shoulders, and although she had only seen him in suits, Lizzie would have been willing to bet her miniscule salary the there was a smokin' body lurking beneath all that Armani. He had a very nice face as well: a strong jaw and straight nose with a mess of jet black curls and some very nice sideburns. His eyes were also a very pretty sea green color. And it was obvious he had a lot of money. All this added up to a very nice combination that she was sure a lot of people would be attracted to in some way or another. He was just a little bit too stiff and sometime dispassionate for Lizzie's tastes.

She continued to stare at him from her corner and contemplate the enigma that was Will Darcy. Lizzie had to admit that, despite his sometimes robotic personality, he was a very good brother, given the circumstances. And he was clearly trying his best to be better for Georgie, so he couldn't be so bad. Lizzie was sure that in due time she might even begin to like Will Darcy.

The lights in the elevator began to flicker, and then the lift shuddered and stopped all together. She stared at the doors for a few moments before she acknowledged the situation she was now presented with. _I'm stuck in an elevator. I'm stuck in an elevator with Will Darcy. _Suddenly, Lizzie was plunged into darkness. _I'm stuck in an elevator with Will Darcy, and now the lights are out. Great._

The emergency lights flicked on so they were afforded a little more visibility. Lizzie moved forward and pressed the call button but there was no reply. She tried it once, twice, three more times with the same results.

"No one is going to pick up," came the emotionless voice of Darcy "It's almost 10 at night. Everyone is gone for the weekend."

"Well, shit," Lizzie said with an exasperated sigh "Do you have your cell phone because my battery is dead?" When Darcy didn't answer Lizzie turned to face him.

"Hello?! We need to call someone. Are you even listening to me?" Lizzie questioned, annoyed. Still Darcy didn't respond. His back was turned toward her, and he faced the corner of the elevator. His briefcase was abandoned by his feet, and he gripped the hand rails to the point where his knuckles were white. Then Lizzie noticed his shallow breathing "Are you okay?"

He continued to be unresponsive, so she slowly approached him. She got a good look at his profile and noticed his eyes were screwed shut, and he was taking shallow, shaky breaths.

"Shit, you're having a panic attack. Okay. Fuck…ummm," Lizzie frantically tried to think about how she was told to handle this. She had learned a few basic first aid things at a teaching seminar last year, and one of them was how to calm a child down during a panic or anxiety attack. She slowly lifted her hand to touch Darcy's bicep. "Darcy…Darcy, look at me. Will, I need you to look at me." He didn't seem to notice her at first, but finally, she got him to turn his head and look at her.

"Will, I need you to let go of the railing." Will's breathing increased rapidly when Lizzie suggested this. "Hey, hey, hey. It's gonna be fine." He slowly nodded his head and loosened his grip on the hand rails, but Lizzie still had to gently pry them off. She kept ahold of his hands as she guided him away from the corner, holding his gaze the entire time. The look on his face reminded her of a small, scared child, and Lizzie had an insane desire to hold and comfort him. She chalked that down to her teacher instinct.

"Okay, were gonna sit down, if that's alright?" She asked as they lowered themselves to the ground. She continued to hold onto his hands as they sat. "Okay, Will, I need you to take deep breaths and focus on something, anything. It could be your favorite movie or song, but I just need you to keep breathing and put all you focus into one thing," Lizzie explained. Will took several deep breaths. At first he seemed to be calming down, but then his breathing hitched and his eyes dropped to the floor. Lizzie quickly removed her hands from his grasp and held either side of his face. She slowed forced him to look back into her eyes.

"Hey. Look at me. Just focus on me. Listen to my voice. Don't think about anything else, just me. Keep taking deep breaths." Lizzie continued to sooth him like this as he stared at her, completely mesmerized. Almost of their own accord, Lizzie's hands began to gently stroke Darcy's face and cheeks.

They stayed that way for a while, sitting cross legged on the floor, knee to knee, Lizzie stroking his face and whispering soothing words, while they stared into each other's eyes. Lizzie was surprised to find it not the least bit awkward. She kept waiting for the weirdness of the situation to hit her, but it never did. Instead, it increasingly began to feel like the most natural thing in the world.

Eventually Will calmed down completely and Lizzie gave him a small, gentle smile.

"See?" she said quietly. Will blinked a few times and swallowed. After that, Lizzie isn't quite sure _what_ happened.

* * *

Will couldn't explain exactly why he did it. It sort of just happened. They were sitting there just staring at each other, and she was being so sweet to him and touching him and holding his face in between her hands. She was staring at him with this look in her eyes. Darcy couldn't explain it, but it just made him feel like he never wanted to look away again. Then she smiled at him, and he just lost it.

Darcy lifted his hands out of his lap and mirrored the way she was holding his face, gently stroking her cheeks. Not a second later he was kissing her. He had pulled her face to his, leaned in, and just went for it. And it was perfect. At least, it felt that way to him. It took him a second to realize she wasn't responding to his kiss, and Will wasn't having that. He kissed her more urgently. One hand stayed splayed against her cheek, jaw, and neck, while the other found its way to her lower back. He continued to press harder, and his tongue darted out to lick her lower lip.

Finally, ever so slowly, she began to kiss him back. Her hands gently wove their way into his mop of soft curls, and she crushed her lips harder to his. Will pulled her to him until they were pressed as close as they could possibly be. His hand at her lower back fisted in her shirt, and he slowly lowered her to the floor. It was a tangle of limbs and tongues and absolute bliss. Eventually, he gave them some much need air but he continued to pepper kisses on her face, neck, and any bare skin he could find. When his mouth returned to hers she bit down on his lower lip, eliciting a groan from him.

"Elizabeth," he gave a gentle warning which she didn't pay attention to in the least bit. She continued to suck on his lower lip and began to grind her hips into his.

"Lizzie," he mumbled again in between moans.

"Mmmhm?" was her unintelligible response. Darcy reluctantly pulled away, earning a whine from her.

"Seriously Lizzie, no one could be more upset about stopping than me, but if we don't then it's highly unlikely that I will be able to. And I doubt that you would want to have sex in a dirty, cramped elevator." Will gave her a pointed look. At this Lizzie blushed. They sat in silence for several minutes, calming their ragged breathing.

Lizzie was the first to speak. "So…what just happened?"

Will chuckled and gave her a smirk. "I thought it was pretty clear what just happened."

Lizzie blushed even redder but tried to ignore his teasing, something she wasn't used to from him. "No, I mean, what was that? Where did it come from? Why did you do that?"

"Because, you're beautiful," Will whispered. Lizzie froze for a moment.

"I didn't even know you found me attractive," She said confused.

Will snorted. "That's the understatement of the century"

"What does that _mean_?" Lizzie was becoming frustrated.

Will took a few deep breaths and then turned to face Lizzie and looked her straight in the eye.

"It means I'm not just attracted to you. I like you Elizabeth. A lot. You're so beautiful, and funny, and smart, and sexy, even when you're not _trying_ to be any of those things. And every time I see you with Georgie I'm just amazed. The only people who were able to get her to open up the way you have were my parents and me. I can't just ignore that. It means a lot to me that you care about her almost as much as I do. You're just so good! You are literally everything I could possibly look for in woman. You're perfect, and I think I lo—," Will stopped himself before he let _those _words slip out. "I just really like you. Really," He finished earnestly.

Lizzie sat, slacked jawed and floored at what she just heard. This didn't make sense. There's no way he could like her. _Judging by the way you both just made out like horny teenagers, I'd say that the chances of him like you aren't all that slight_. It just didn't add up. There was no way they could work out. I mean she was a smart mouth, and he'd even said himself that he thought she was just a ditsy elementary teacher. He didn't like her. And she didn't like him. Right?

Admittedly, she had been wrong about the whole terrible parent thing. And he obviously just proved to her that he wasn't lacking passion, so she had missed the mark on that too. The more Lizzie thought about it the more she realized what a catch Will really was. He was sweet and kind and forgiving. Intelligent and had a pleasant dry sense of humor. And he really was very attractive. So, why was she so averse to being with him? And then it hit her that she really wasn't all that against it. When she thought about it, the idea of being with Will Darcy and kissing like that again was quite pleasing. Lizzie smirked faintly down at her hands.

"I'm really sorry to interrupt whatever soliloquy is going off in your head," Will began hesitantly "But we've been sitting here in silence for about five minutes, and I'm not sure I can take much more of it." He continued to stare at the floor from his seated position and twiddled his thumbs. He was beginning to think he should have just kept his mouth shut. When Lizzie didn't say anything, he grew a little more desperate.

"Please, say something."

"Okay," was her response. Okay? _Okay? _That was all she could say to him.

"Again, terribly sorry to bug you, but would you expand, maybe, just a little." Will thought he might explode from the nerves and tension.

Lizzie gave a breathy chuckle at the constipated and desperate look on Will's face.

"Okay. You like me?" Will nodded his head with slightly overeager exuberance. "So, where does that leave us?"

_Did this mean she was giving him a chance? Oh God, he hoped so._

"Well," Will took a deep breath and quietly began "I was hoping that I would ask you out on a date for tomorrow night. Then another and another and another, and then eventually, you would become my girlfriend, and we could adopt a cat together. Or a dog. I'm fine with either. And then I would ask you to move in with me; my apartment in probably nicer than yours. And someday in the not so distant future, you and I would be walking our dog through central park, and I would probably say something idiotic or pompous, and you would tease me. I would look over at your smiling face and into you gorgeous sparkling eyes and realize that I never want to spend a minute without again. And I would ask you to marry me. And God knows why you'd accept this fool, but you would. And me, you, and Georgie could be a family, and we would have kids of our own someday. We could grow old together and watch them grow up, and even at eighty, I would still be as in love with as that day in the elevator." His voice was barely a whisper as he finished. He couldn't believe he had said all that. He was _not _supposed to say all that. But once he started everything that he had kept bottled up for so long just came pouring out, and now he scared he away. Yep, he had definitely scared her away.

If Lizzie was shocked by his first confession, this one took her breath away. She stared at him in amazement as he looked back at her with what she could now recognize as love (and a hefty amount of terror). Her heart nearly exploded from so much fluff. Lizzie didn't love Will yet, but by what he just said and the way he was looking at her, she didn't think she was far off. Lizzie gave Will a gentle smile.

"Well then," she said quietly, barely louder than a breath, and scooted towards him. He stared back at her like a scared rabbit, afraid to even exhale and ruin the moment. "I suggest you get out your cell phone and call someone for help. I don't really want to spend out first date in an elevator," she teased.

Will nodded his head. A breathtaking smile broke across his face, but instead of reaching for his phone, he leaned in to give Lizzie a gentle kiss. She smirked against his lips.

Help could wait five more minutes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! I can't believe all the support I got after just a few days! It means the world to me. And it actually inspired some more writing. I'm not sure if I'm ready to turn this into a multi-chapter story, but who knows? Anyway, here's the parent/teacher conference scene.**

** Disclaimer: Still don't own :(**

** One Long Night:**

"Are there any questions you have for me?" Lizzie asked as she started shuffling all the materials that Anne De Bourg has chosen to show her mother back into the portfolio. She slid the folder across the table top to the woman. It was customary for the parents' of the students to take everything home to bask in the joy of their child's perfect spelling quiz and gloat about their accomplished paper bag hand puppet crafting skills.

The uptight society mom sitting on the other side of Elizabeth's desk sniffed disdainfully as she flipped back through the numerous drawings of puppies and photographs of her daughter's performance as Flying Monkey #3 in _The Wizard of Oz._ She stared down her nose at a picture Anne had drawn of her family. Lizzie had to admit that the sketch of the silly looking woman in a puffy fur coat and ridiculously high heels wasn't as far off from the real Catherine De Bourg as she had imagined. In fact, she was pretty sure that Mrs. De Bourg was wearing that same atrocious coat at this very moment.

She really was a sight, with her over bleached, platinum blond updo. Lizzie also noticed she must have had at least thirty pounds of diamonds on her fingers, around her neck, and dangling from her ears, the weight of them stretching out her earlobes. _That looks painful._ She was also fairly certain the woman was wearing what once was a live skunk around her neck. Catherine De Bourg laid the drawing aside and gave Lizzie a look that screamed of disapproval.

"Ms. Bennet," Catherine began in a pompous tone "I cannot help but notice that there is an abundance of…_artistic expression_ within your classroom." Lizzie was confused as to where the woman was going with this but nodded her head at her so she would continue. "Well, with all the pursuit of such trivial activities as music, acting, and _doodling_, there seems to be an extreme lack of core subjects, such as reading, writing, and arithmetic."

Trying to hide her amused smirk from the fine lady, she responded. "I can assure you ma'am, I am teaching _all _the core subjects. Considering they are a required part of the curriculum, I would be out of a job if I didn't."

"Well, they don't seem present to me at all," Mrs. De Bourg said stubbornly.

Lizzie let out a delicate sigh. She was so tired of explaining her methods to these stuffy, obnoxious socialites who thought they knew everything just because they had money.

"The _trivial activities_, as you put it, are used as a sort of doorway to teaching other subjects. For instance, in math the students were learning about different forms of measurement and how to convert one form to another, so when designing the set for _The Wizard of Oz, _the students had to do all the measurements for the set pieces and convert everything themselves." She felt a little smug as she finished, but the feeling was short lived as the woman across from her fired another retort.

"I don't see why you can't just teach the subject straight out instead of muddling it with all this nonsense!"

"Well, ma'am," Lizzie took a deep breath "I just find that the students become more interested in learning when there is a little fun connected to it. They are more willing to participate and do the work when the arts are integrated into the subjects. And they get to express their creativity."

"Creativity," Catherine scoffed "I assume you are a first year teacher." She jutted out her chin, and Lizzie couldn't hide her offense at the comment.

"No," Lizzie said shortly "Actually, I've been teaching for four years. I'm by no means a veteran, but I have a little experience. I've found this method to be very effective." Elizabeth held the offensive woman's stare without the slightest hint of fear. After a moment, De Bourg huffed and stood up. She scooped up the folder and shoved it into her purse.

"Well," she began as she grabbed her bejeweled, black cane. Yes, she actually carried a cane. Lizzie didn't think it was for medical purposes. "You better hope your _methods _continue to work," she spat "Because if my Anne shows the slightest decrease in intellectual abilities, I will be having a word with your principal."

"I'm sure you will," Lizzie mumbled sarcastically as Mrs. Catherine De Bourg swept from the room.

Elizabeth sighed and banged her head against her desk in frustration. She was so sick of all these ridiculous, entitled parents she had to deal with. She supposed it's what she got for working in the rich part of town. Lizzie almost wished she stayed at that school in The Bronx. Sure the pay wasn't nearly as good, and the kids there were usually terribly misbehaved, but at least the parents didn't question every decision she made in the classroom. Well, typically, they didn't take an interest. Period. Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles. At least the kids here were sweet; well, _most _of them were.

Lizzie let out a little relieved sigh as she thought about the fact that she probably wouldn't have to deal with most of the parents until the spring conferences; there would be a few that would insist on meeting with her in order to suggest the most effective way to organize the children's desks because the Feng shui in the room was _completely _off. Some ridiculous crap like that. Mrs. De Bourg had been her last conference of the evening. That meant that she could go home have a nice long bubble bath and not think about lesson plans, classroom holiday parties, and pompous parents for the rest of the night.

Her head snapped up as she heard a distinct whistle that had the same effect on her as the Jaws theme song would have on unsuspecting swimmers. _Oh, no. Shit. _Lizzie thoughts ran in circles as she tried to find an escape route. Maybe if she turned out the lights and hid under her desk he would assume she was gone for the night? She could jump out the window! A three story fall couldn't be all that bad? It wouldn't kill her…she hoped. Lizzie jumped up to grab her purse. Too late. He stood in her door.

"And, how are you this fine evening Elizabeth?" He leered at her from across the room.

"Fine, Mr. Williams. How are you?" Lizzie asked defeated.

"Ah, ah, ah," Mr. Williams shook his head in disapproval as he strode further into the classroom "What did I say about using such formalities? Were friends Lizzie. There's no need," he finished as he stood only a few feet from her.

"Right. Sorry, William." Lizzie sighed and tried to ignore the disgusting look William Williams was giving her. That's right folks, William Williams. What kind of twisted parents would seriously give their child a name like William Williams?

After a few minutes of standing awkwardly, trying to avoid William's creepy gaze, Lizzie cleared her throat.

"Did you need something, Bill?" she asked, already knowing why he was here but dearly hoping she was wrong. Bill licked his pale, cracked lips.

"Yes, actually. I was thinking that since parent/teacher conferences are over, we should go out and celebrate."

"The whole staff?" Lizzie asked hopefully. William grinned in what he probably thought was an alluring way but ended up just looking like he had to pass gas.

"No. Just you and I," he purred and Lizzie held back a gag. William Williams was possibly the most repulsive man she ever had the displeasure to meet. He was short and pudgy, with pale skin that was always covered in a sickly looking sheen of sweat. His beady, pale blue eyes always seemed to find their way to her chest, and if his receding hairline wasn't already an indication that he was too old for her, then the liver spots that were beginning to form on his hands were. His nails and teeth were yellowing, and his breath reeked of the tuna fish sandwich he ate for lunch _every day_. All in all, he was disgusting. Unfortunately, he was also her boss. She let out an exasperated sigh

"We've had this conversation a million times before, Bill," she said as she walked around him towards the cabinet the held her coat and scarf. "You're my vice principal. Not only would it be highly inappropriate, but it's against the rules. We would get fired." This was always the answer Lizzie gave him whenever he asked her out, and it usually worked just fine any other time. Tonight was a different story. Bill gave a low chuckle and walked towards her as she wound her scarf around her neck.

"I know. You've said that before, but I was thinking. It wouldn't be too hard to keep it a secret from everyone," he said as he closed in on her. Lizzie froze for a nanosecond and then quickly dodged around him toward her desk to retrieve her purse. This was not part of her escape plan. Why couldn't he just accept her answer like he usually did?

"I'll be transferring to a new school in the spring, a _high school_," he emphasized the last two words like she should be impressed or something. "We would only have to hide our relationship for a few months, and then everything will be totally acceptable."

Lizzie sighed and closed her eyes as she leaned against the side of her desk. This was the last straw for her. She couldn't deal with him harassing and bugging her anymore.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you, Bill, no," she said harshly as she turned to face him. He was a lot closer than she realized. "I don't think of you that way. At all. I never have, and I never will." This didn't seem to discourage Bill in the least bit. He just continued to creep closer to Lizzie with that same weird smirk as he had earlier.

"You don't have to pretend like you don't feel something for me anymore, Elizabeth." The way he said her name made Lizzie want to puke, and she was about ready to kick him in the balls when three raps sounded at her opened door, and whoever it was cleared their throat. Both William and Lizzie turned their head towards the noise.

"Mr. Darcy!" Lizzie never thought she would be so thankful to see awkward Will Darcy standing in her classroom.

"Ms. Bennet," he nodded in her direction and looked at William with a little more hatred than she thought necessary, but hey, at least the attention was no longer focused on her. William cowered under Darcy's glare and beat a hasty retreat. He actually _bowed _as he scuttled around Darcy and walked out the door. Will watched him go with distaste and then turned back to Elizabeth.

"Was I interrupting something?" he asked cautiously.

Lizzie snorted. "Nooo. No. Absolutely not." She vehemently shook her head. Will stepped further into the room, and Lizzie realized she wasn't sure why he was there. With the absence of Mr. Williams, her dislike of Darcy was beginning to surface again.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Will apologized, but offered no explanation, as he made his way towards her desk. Lizzie was confused for about two seconds before she realized he must be there for Georgie's conference. She didn't bother to comment on the fact that he was over _three hours_ late.

"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed "Um…have a seat," she offered as she began to unwind her scarf and take off her coat. She didn't bother hanging them up but just laid them next to her purse. Lizzie was a little disappointed her bubble bath was put off because this man couldn't fit her into his schedule, but this was one of the few conference she thought _needed _to happen, therefore she wasn't too disappointed.

"You'll have to forgive me," she began as she turned to search through her filing cabinet for Georgiana Darcy's portfolio "I didn't think you were going to show up so I put Georgie's portfolio away. Aha!" She let out a small triumphant cry as she located the folder. She turned back around and took a seat at her desk "But I'm glad you decided to come. There are some things I want to discuss." Lizzie's tone became much more serious. This was what she liked to call her teacher mode.

"Okay," Darcy said a little hesitantly.

"Well, first, let's just go through some of what Georgie wanted to show you," Lizzie said as she opened the folder. She pulled out the first few items: A stack of pictures of Georgiana as Glinda the Good Witch and some of her during the set designing and painting workshop the fifth graders did. She handed the pictures to Darcy, and he smiled slightly.

"These are just some pictures from _The Wizard of Oz_. Georgiana just thought you might like some since you didn't take any yourself, so we printed a few off. There are some from the set day too." Lizzie then pulled out the next item: Georgie's latest social study test. She got a 100% "You should have seen her face when she got the grade back on this. I don't think I've ever seen a student so proud over anything. She kept gushing to me about how she couldn't wait to tell you."

"Yeah, I think she said something to me about it. I can't remember exactly," Will said as he took the test out of her hand. Lizzie held back a biting remark about his inattentiveness and pulled out the next piece of paper.

"She wasn't too keen on showing you this, but I felt it important. This is Georgiana's portion of a group science experiment that all the student's had to participate in. She didn't do so great," Lizzie handed Darcy the group project score sheet. "As you can see the thing that brought her down were participation points. She understood the material just fine, but she didn't get involved with the other students. Every time I would walk by their table, she was either reading her free time book or had her head down. To put it simply, Mr. Darcy, Georgiana doesn't work well with others." Darcy looked up from the score sheet and frowned at her bluntness. "That's not to say anything about her intelligence. It just means that her social skills aren't all that great."

"Her social skills are just fine," Darcy said stiffly.

Lizzie didn't comment but merely pulled out the last item on her list. She was aware that this was probably where all hell would break loose.

"This is the last piece I wanted to show you," Lizzie said as she handed Darcy the drawing. He looked down at the picture Georgie had made and smiled fondly. It was him and her, crudely drawn, but clear enough. They were standing in front of a large yellow house and holding hands. She had a big cheesy smile and had drawn Darcy with a frown. Lizzie saw a real one start to form on his lips. She wondered if Georgie always saw him as so unhappy. She pulled him out of his thoughts with her next comment.

"The students were asked to draw a picture of their families. Along with it, they were supposed to write a little bit about their family members. Most of the stuff I read was pretty standard. 'I have a dad, a mom, a brother, and a dog' that sort of thing. Georgiana's was a little more…in depth," Lizzie became very serious as she pulled out Georgie's paragraph and handed it to Darcy. She watched his frown grow more pronounced as he scanned the paragraph. "She only mentioned you and her, no one else. The thing I found most interesting was what she wrote at the very bottom. 'I wish Will would pay attention to me like he used to'." She waited for Mr. Darcy to say something. When he didn't, she continued, "I've only been teaching here for a year, but I've become quite fond of Georgiana. She is sweet, and bright, and extremely talented. But she's also cripplingly shy. I kept wondering to myself, why would such a beautiful and kind girl be afraid of making friends. And then she started to tell me about you, and I figured it out."

Darcy's head snapped up and spoke up for the first time in a few minutes.

"Are you implying that Georgie's shyness is my fault?" he shot.

"I'm not implying, I'm saying it outright," Lizzie responded calmly, but underneath her cool exterior she was livid. How could he not see this was his fault? "Georgie is so shy because of a lack of attention from you." Will Darcy's jaw dropped.

"Are you trying to say I'm neglecting Georgiana?" Darcy raised his voice.

Lizzie had to tread lightly and with caution. Neglect was a serious accusation and not one you just threw around, especially when you were an educator.

"Not in an extreme sense, but enough to affect her. And enough that she notices." Darcy shook his head a rolled his eyes. _That_ pissed Lizzie off. She was hoping they could do this peacefully, but he obviously wasn't going to listen. Lizzie couldn't help it if she became harsher than she intended. "I'm not sure what the situation is with Georgie's mother is, but it's clear she is no longer in the picture," Will's face screwed up in confusion, but she continued "I'm aware that it must be difficult being a young single parent, but, I'm sorry to say this, that's no excuse to completely ignore your daughter. I mean, she doesn't even call you dad. What does that say about the kind of relationship you have? Or what about the fact that you can't even bother to take an interest in what she tells you? I've never seen her so excited about anything when she got back that social studies test, and you couldn't even remember that she told you about it. She is desperate for some kind of acknowledgement from you, and you're too busy at work to even notice." Darcy looked down dejectedly at the picture in his hands, but didn't appear to actually be seeing it. He was lost in his own thoughts. Lizzie was on a roll, and not even the sad look on Mr. Darcy's face could stop her. "It's not really my place to say any of this, but I can't, with a good conscience, sit by and watch a sweet girl get crushed daily by the fact that her own father barely gives her the time of day."

"Alright, that's enough," Mr. Darcy said, standing quickly. Something Lizzie said must have struck a nerve "We're done here."

She watched as he shuffled everything back into Georgie's portfolio and made his way to the door. Before he made it completely out he swallowed hard and turned slightly back towards her. Without looking her in the eye he wished her a good evening and quickly left.

Lizzie stared at the now empty chair he used to occupy. She heaved a great sigh and couldn't help feeling she may have been too harsh. Not the she regretted telling him. He absolutely needed to know everything she said. Lizzie hoped that her words might make a difference, but she doubted they would. There was no reason for him to listen to the "ditsy elementary teacher", as he had once called her. Lizzie had done all she could. It was really up to him to act on what she said. And if he didn't try to be a better father to Georgie, she would do everything in her power to help the girl along and boost her confidence.

Elizabeth slipped her coat back on and rewound her scarf around her neck. She picked her purse up and went to turn out the lights to her classroom. She walked down the hall towards the stairwell that would lead her down three flights to the street below all the while wondering whether what she said would actually help Georgiana Darcy. Only time would tell. As Lizzie made it outside the school and walked to her car she decided worrying wouldn't help anything. She took a deep breath and focused on the bubble bath she now needed a million times more than before. _This had been a long night._


End file.
